Almshouse

An almshouse, also known as a hospital, maison dieu,^[1] or in Scotland a parish house,^[2] is a charitable foundation for the care of the poor, particularly the elderly poor.^[1] It was originally the name given to that part of a medieval monastery in which alms – food and money – were distributed,^[3] but during the Middle Ages almshouses were often built by rich merchants for the needy members of their guilds.^[4]

Almshouses usually consisted of small houses of at most two storeys, sometimes arranged in a terrace, but often around three or four sides of a central court, with perhaps a separate house for the warden;^[4] they sometimes also incorporated a chapel and dining hall.^[5] By the mid-16th century there were about 800 almshouses across England. Those with chapels were regarded as chantries, chapels established by bequest in which a priest was paid to say masses and pray for the soul of the deceased benefactor,^[6][a]Almshouses were also known as bede-houses, bede being a Middle English form of “bead”, an archaic term for “prayer”.^[7] which resulted in them being either sold off to landowners or left to ruin during the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1539–1540).^[8]

Following the accession of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) some of the old almshouses were re-established, and many new ones founded by private benefactors. Beginning with the Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597, the charitable relief provided by almshouses was supplemented by a series of Poor Laws.^[3]

Present-day

As at 2023 there are more than 30,000 almshouse dwellings in the UK, accommodating more than 36,000 residents,^[9] known as qualified beneficiaries. Instead of rent they are required to pay a weekly maintenance contribution “that must not be set at a level that would cause hardship”.^[10]